Project Summary -

The game world I'm hoping to build is an extension of my Asteroids
project at the beginning of the semester.  it will be a space
simulator that will allow for movement and combat in space.  I'm
planning to deliver a horizontal slice of the game environment I'm
anticipating building.  This will include elements like gravity
interactions (between ships and stars and ships <=> ships) this will
be generated manually to manage the scale of the universe and ships I
intend to build.

The 3D Models will be low priority designs and will probably be done
as spheres until late in development cycle with an emphasis on the
interaction between weapons and the ships instead of the visual models
themselves.

Some elements I intend to add to make this a different game than
others I'm hoping to enable a shield/weapon/engine trade off system.
Each ship has a finite amount of "energy" that they must distribute
between the demands of the ship.  In addition to budgeting, you can
also "overdrive" each of these elements which would allow increased
performance between them. Also to allow you to overdrive things, you
can under power them.

This will be a complex control scheme that will require a in-depth
UI to give the player a view of the state of their ship.  The UI will
have to present total power available, power consumption itemized by
demanding system. Additionally I want to present a simple UI-radar to
present the items in the universe around them. Finally there needs to
be a UI to display speed, heading, and damage taken (which should
    impact the energy generation).

===================================================
ACTUAL ASSET LIST -
  - Fighter Ship 3D Model
  - Rocket Model
  - Laser model
  - Skybox
  - Planet

===================================================
EXECUTION PLAN

  Mock out the Classes required and mapping of class => scene graph

  Enable Physics interactions on ships.

  Add power creation and draw registration system.
    Half complete...

  Add Weapons
    Models and Object Strucutre Done.

  Add Controls

  Add Model for Ship, Weapons, and Planets

  --------------------------------------
    MURPHEY'S LAW HITS HARD
  --------------------------------------

  Add Weapon Movement and Collision

  Add Weapon Launching from "LaunchPads"

  Add Controls for Weapons

  Add UI for Speed, heading, energy

  Add Damage Mechanic

  Add UI for Damage

  Build Rough game Elements:
    - spawn a ship randomly and give points for killing
    - print and reset score/game when dead
  
  ----------------------------------
  EVEN MORE FUTURE PLANS
  ----------------------------------

  Add Splash Damage to rockets

  Add Shield that only collides a certain % of the time, or until dmg cap reached.

  Add Shield Effect (only shows Texture on impacts)

  Add Rocket-Locking System

  Add Complex Visual UI for Dmg, Energy, and Lock-on System

  Add Modular Damage - allow targeting engines/weapons

  Add Large Ship
  - different power schema
  - new model

  Add Ship Collision (Kamikaze attacks) and planet collisions.

  Add Cloaking

  Add Repairing (A huge energy draw so it disables you for a while)

  Add AI For the opponent.

==============================================================================
Problems and work-arounds:
  Using built in physics engine.  Followed tutorial from reference manual.
  Borrowed some of my camera logic from the Third Person Better Ralph exable
    http://www.panda3d.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=8452

  Borrowed Frame of Reference grid from:
    http://code.google.com/p/python-panda3d-examples/wiki/PandaCoords

  Models built (ickily) in Blender.

  LOTS or referral to the Panda3d forums and reference pages.